JP2002238844A - Endoscope device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscope device capable of supporting an operator by providing the position information, shape information, and the like of the distal end of a treatment instrument in the dead angle of an endoscope. SOLUTION: An endoscope system 1 is provided with a source coil 16 arranged at an endoscope insertion part 7; a source coil 45 arranged at the treatment instrument; a triaxial sensing coil 22 previously arranged at a bed 4; a source coil position detecting part 31 for computing the positions of the source coils 16, 45 based on the triaxial sensing coil 22 as a reference on the basis of a detection signal outputted from the triaxial sensing coil 22 that detected the magnetic field generated from the source coils 16, 45; a virtual image forming part 32 for performing the coordinate transformation of position information acquired in the source coil position detecting part 31 into the relative position of the source coil 45 on the basis of the source coil 16 and forming a virtual image of the treatment instrument 40 viewed from the endoscope 6 on the basis of the relative position obtained by the coordinate transformation; and a monitor signal generating part for displaying the virtual image formed by the virtual image forming part 32, on top of the actual endoscope image on a screen.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus for notifying a surgeon of information about a blind spot of an endoscope and assisting the operation of the endoscope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, endoscopes have been widely used in the medical field. This endoscope can diagnose internal organs deep in the body cavity without incising the body surface, or can perform a therapeutic treatment of removing a polyp or the like by inserting a treatment tool into a channel provided in the endoscope as needed. .

[0003] Among the endoscopes, particularly, those having a flexible insertion portion can be inserted into a bent duct in a body cavity. In addition, in endoscopic surgery, while observing the affected part with an endoscope inserted into the body cavity, treatment such as incision, coagulation, clipping, etc. of the affected part is performed using a treatment tool inserted separately from this endoscope. I do. When grasping or cauterizing the affected part with the treatment tool under this endoscope, confirm that the distal end of the treatment tool has completely protruded from the distal end of the endoscope or trocar, and then operate the treatment tool. It is supposed to do.

[0004]

However, as described above, in an endoscopic surgical operation using an endoscope and a treatment tool inserted separately from the endoscope, the body cavity of the endoscope or the treatment tool is used. Since the insertion position into the inside is limited to one or several places,
As in the case of laparotomy, it is not easy to move the viewpoint of the operator or to change the treatment tool. In other words, since the movable range of the distal end of the endoscope and the distal end of the treatment tool with respect to the affected part is limited, a lot of time is spent on checking the state of blind spots of the endoscope, and the work requires skill. It was a necessary technology.

When the treatment tool is operated without confirming that the distal end of the treatment tool has completely protruded from the distal end of the endoscope or the trocar, the distal end of the endoscope, the trocar, and the treatment tool are mechanically moved. There was a risk of damage due to heat during the target or cauterization.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in endoscope surgery using an endoscope and a treatment tool, positional information and shape information of a distal end of the treatment tool at a blind spot of the endoscope are provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope apparatus that can provide an operator and the like to support an operator, and also prevent damage to an endoscope, a trocar, or a distal end portion of a treatment tool by an inadvertent operation.

[0007]

An endoscope apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
An endoscope magnetic field generating element disposed in the endoscope insertion section, a treatment tool magnetic field generating element disposed in the treatment tool, and a pre-positioned at a known position around the subject into which the endoscope and the treatment tool are inserted. Based on the detection signal output from the magnetic field detecting element and the magnetic field detecting element that detects the magnetic field generated from the magnetic field generating element for the endoscope and the magnetic field generating element for the treatment tool, based on these magnetic field detecting elements. Position calculating means for calculating the positions of the endoscope magnetic field generating element and the treatment tool magnetic field generating element, and position information calculated by the position calculating means, based on the endoscope magnetic field generating element. Conversion means for performing coordinate conversion to the relative position of the magnetic field generating element for a treatment tool, and forming a virtual image of the treatment tool viewed from the endoscope based on the relative position obtained by the coordinate conversion of the coordinate conversion means. Virtual image forming means and the virtual image The virtual image formed by the forming means by superimposing the actual endoscopic image is provided with an image display means for displaying on the screen.

[0008] Further, relative position detecting means for detecting a relative position between the treatment tool and an endoscope channel or a trocar into which the treatment tool is inserted are arranged at respective predetermined positions.

According to this configuration, the three-dimensional coordinates obtained by detecting the positions and directions of the endoscope insertion portion and the treatment tool insertion portion with respect to the magnetic field detecting element are converted into a coordinate system based on the visual field of the endoscope. By recalculating and obtaining the virtual contour shape of the distal end of the treatment tool viewed from the endoscope, the virtual contour shape is displayed so as to overlap the endoscope image displayed on the screen.

The relative position between the distal end of the endoscope or the trocar and the distal end of the treatment instrument is detected by a relative position detecting means and notified to an operator or an assistant.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 8 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an endoscope system, FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a specific configuration of the endoscope system, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a treatment tool, FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a sense coil, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an endoscope and a treatment tool inserted into an abdominal cavity of a patient lying on a bed. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the position detection device, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a display example on a monitor screen.

FIG. 8A is a view showing an endoscope image captured by a CCD, FIG. 8B is a view for explaining a contour image of the endoscope image, and FIG. FIG. 8D illustrates an image based on virtual outline image data, and FIG. 8D illustrates an image based on virtual outline image data of the distal end portion of the treatment tool that does not overlap the outline image of the endoscope image. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an image obtained by superimposing virtual contour image data on an endoscope image displayed on a monitor screen. FIG. 8F shows an example in which the opening / closing amount f is displayed as a specific size display on the monitor screen. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an endoscope system 1 according to the present embodiment includes an endoscope device 2 for displaying an in-vivo image obtained by an endoscope 6 on a screen of a monitor 23, A treatment tool 40 for performing a treatment in the body cavity while observing an image in the body cavity displayed on the monitor 23, a position of the endoscope insertion portion 7 of the endoscope 6 and a position of the treatment tool insertion portion 41 of the treatment tool 40. And a position detection device 3 including a processing circuit for detecting the contour of the distal end of the treatment tool not displaying an image from the mutual positional relationship and superimposing and displaying the contour on the monitor 23.

The endoscope 6 has an elongated endoscope insertion portion 7.
And an operation unit 8 provided at a base end of the endoscope insertion unit 7.
And a universal cable 9 extending from an end of the operation unit 8. A connector 9 </ b> A detachably attached to a light source unit 36 of the video processor 11 is provided at a base end of the universal cable 9.

A bending operation knob 8 for bending a bending portion 7b formed near the distal end of the endoscope insertion portion 7 is provided on the operation portion 8.
The bending operation knob 8a is rotated by the operator to bend the bending portion 7b so that a desired visual field can be easily obtained.

A signal cable 9B extends from the side of the connector 9A. The signal connector 9C provided at the base end of the signal cable 9B is detachably connected to the signal processing unit 37 of the video processor 11.

A light guide 38 for transmitting illumination light is provided inside the endoscope insertion section 7, and this light guide 38 is inserted through the operation section 8 and the universal cable 9 to the connector 9A. Is extended. Thus, the illumination light emitted from the lamp 36a in the light source unit 36 of the video processor 11 is transmitted to the connector 9A.
And is transmitted by the light guide 38 and emitted forward from an illumination window (not shown) which forms illumination light emission means provided on the distal end surface of the endoscope insertion section 7.

The observation image in the body cavity illuminated by the illumination light is solid-state image-pickup arranged at the focal position of the objective lens 39 by an objective lens 39 attached to an observation window provided adjacent to the illumination window. An image is formed on the imaging surface of the CCD 29 as an element. The in-vivo image formed on this imaging surface is:
The CCD 29 performs photoelectric conversion into an electric signal, and is read as an electric signal by a CCD drive signal output from a CCD drive circuit 37A in the signal processing unit 37. The endoscope insertion unit 7, the operation unit 8, and the universal cable 9 Signal processing circuit 3 input via a signal line disposed in
At 7B, it is converted to a standard video signal. This video signal is displayed as an endoscope image on the screen of the monitor 23 via the electric cable 14 and the position detection device main body 21. Reference numeral 13 denotes a treatment instrument channel inserted and arranged in the endoscope insertion section 7, and reference numeral 13a denotes a treatment instrument insertion port provided on the distal end side of the operation section 8.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the end rigid portion 7a of the endoscope insertion portion 7 has a source coil, for example, three endoscope magnetic field generating elements which constitute an endoscope magnetic field generating portion 16. 16a, 16b and 16c are arranged at predetermined intervals. These source coils 16a, 16b, 16c
It is composed of a solenoid-shaped coil formed by winding a conductive wire coated with an insulating and hard cylindrical core 10. The outer peripheral surface is insulated and fixed with an adhesive and fixed to the inner wall of the tip rigid portion 7 a. Then, each source coil 16a,
Each lead 17 extending from 16b, 16c
Is connected to the position detecting device main body 21 via the endoscope insertion section 7, the operation section 8, the universal cable 9, the signal cable 9B, and the electric cable 14.

As a result, a magnetic field is generated from each of the source coils 16a, 16b, and 16c in the endoscope insertion section by applying a drive signal to each of the source coils 16a, 16b, and 16c from the position detection device main body 21. The signal connector 9C is provided with an endoscope model identification section 9c for identifying the endoscope model, which will be described later.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
Is an elongated treatment tool insertion portion 41, and the treatment tool insertion portion 41
And an operation unit 42 provided at the base end of the main unit. The operating section 42 has a fixed handle 42 for opening and closing the treatment tool tip 44 provided with a pair of teeth 44a and 44b.
b and a movable handle 42c are provided, and by appropriately operating the handles 42b and 42c, the treatment instrument distal end portion 44 can be opened and closed.

At the distal end of the treatment tool insertion portion 41 and at predetermined positions of the fixed handle 42b and the movable handle 42c, there are provided, for example, three treatment tool magnetic field generation elements serving as a treatment tool magnetic field generation source coil 45a. 45b, 4
5c is provided. These source coils 45a, 45
b and 45c, lead wires 46 respectively extend therethrough, and these lead wires 46 pass through an electric cable 47 extending from the base end of the operation unit 42, and
7 through the connector 48 at the base end of the position detecting device main body 2.
1

By applying a drive signal from the position detecting device body 21 to each of the source coils 45a, 45b, 45c, each of the source coils 45
Magnetic fields are generated from a, 45b, and 45c. The connector 48 is provided with a treatment tool type identification section 48a, which will be described later, for identifying the type of treatment tool.

Further, a high-frequency cable 43 extending from a high-frequency ablation apparatus (not shown) is connected to the operation section 42 so that a high-frequency ablation can be performed on the affected part held by the treatment tool distal end section 44. A connection portion 42a is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, at three known corners of the bed 4, magnetic fields generated from the source coils 16a, 16b, 16c of the endoscope 6 and the treatment tool 40 Each source coil 45a, 45b, 45
c, three-axis sense coils 22a, 22b, and 22c as magnetic field detection elements for detecting a magnetic field generated from the three-axis sense coils 22a, 22b, and 22c.
A signal cable (not shown) extending from 2c is inserted into an electric cable 22d extending from the bed 4 and connected to the position detecting device main body 21.

As shown in FIG. 5, the three-axis sense coil 2
Reference numerals 2a, 22b, and 22c are wound in three directions so that the respective coil surfaces are orthogonal to each other, and detect signals proportional to the magnetic field strength of an axial component orthogonal to the respective coil surfaces. Therefore, the position detecting device main body 21 detects the magnetic field from the source coils 16a, 16b, 16c, 45a, 45b, 45c and detects the three-axis sense coils 22a, 22b, 2c.
2c, the source coils 16a, 16b, 16c, 45a, 45b, 45c
Is calculated, and the contour of the distal end of the treatment tool obtained by estimating the relative position, posture, and shape of the treatment tool insertion section 41 with respect to the endoscope insertion section 7 as described later is represented by an endoscope image. And displayed on the screen of the monitor 23.

Since the position detecting device 3 utilizes magnetism, if a metal that is not transparent to magnetism is present, the source coils 16a, 16b, 16c, 45a for generating magnetic fields are affected by iron loss and the like. , 45b, 45c,
The mutual inductance between the detection three-axis sense coils 22a, 22b, and 22c is affected. Therefore, in order to detect signals with high accuracy, it is desirable to set an environment in which the generated magnetic field is not affected. Therefore, the bed 4 and the treatment tool 40 are magnetically transparent, that is, do not affect the magnetic field. It is formed of a material, for example, a non-magnetic metal such as resin, carbon, and titanium. Actually, since an AC magnetic field is used, any material that is magnetically transparent at least at the frequency of the drive signal may be used.

The endoscope insertion section 7 and the treatment instrument insertion section 41 are inserted into the body cavity 5a of the patient 5 lying on the bed 4 as shown in FIG. The present invention is also applicable to the case of inserting through the interface. Further, the treatment tool insertion section 41 is not limited to a hard one, and may be a soft one. In that case, three or more source coils are arranged at predetermined intervals near the distal end portion, similarly to the endoscope 6, in order to specify the direction of the distal end of the treatment instrument insertion section 41.

The configuration and operation of the position detecting device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the position detecting device 3 includes a source coil driving unit 24 and a mutual inductance detecting unit 2.
6. It is composed of a shape calculation unit 30 and the like.

The source coil driving section 24 amplifies the AC signal supplied from the magnetic field generating oscillation section 25 and amplifies the source coils 16a, 16b and 16c of the endoscope 6 and the source coils 45a and 45b of the treatment tool 40. , 45c. This source coil driving unit 24
The drive signal output to the drive current distributor 28 from the source coil 16 via the lead wires 17 and 46
a, 16b, 16c, 45a, 45b, 45c. As a result, a magnetic field is generated from each of the source coils 16a, 16b, 16c, 45a, 45b, 45c.

The source coils 16a, 16b, 16
The magnetic fields generated from c, 45a, 45b, 45c are 3
It is detected by the axis sense coils 22a, 22b, 22c.
The three-axis sense coils 22a, 22b, 22c
Is sent to the sense coil output amplifier 27 of the position detecting device 3 and amplified. The detection signal amplified by the sense coil output amplifier 27 is output to the mutual inductance detection unit 26.

The mutual inductance detecting section 26 performs quadrature detection (synchronous detection) of the input detection signal on the basis of an AC signal transmitted from the magnetic field generation oscillation section 25 as a reference signal, and performs mutual detection between the coils. A signal related to the inductance is obtained and output to the shape calculation unit 30.

The shape calculating section 30 is composed of a source coil position detecting section 31 as a position calculating section, a virtual image generating section 32 which also serves as a coordinate converting section and a virtual image forming section, and the like. The signal acquired at 26 is subjected to A / D conversion by the source coil position detection unit 31 and the source coils 16a, 16b, 16c, 45a,
Calculation of position detection for obtaining coordinates for the three-axis sense coils 22a, 22b, 22c arranged on the bed 4 of 45b, 45c is performed.

At the next stage of the virtual image generation section 32, the source coils 16a, 16b, 16c, 45a, 45b, 45
Using the coordinates indicating the position of c, the view direction data and the angle of view data of the endoscope 6 and the shape data of the treatment tool 40, which are recorded in advance in the data recording unit 20 as data recording means,
The position and posture of the endoscope insertion section 7 and the treatment tool insertion section 41, and the opening and closing amount of the treatment tool tip are calculated. After that, the image is converted into a coordinate system centered on the field of view of the endoscope 6, a virtual contour image viewed from the endoscope 6 is generated, and the virtual contour image is sent to a monitor signal generation unit 33 as image display means. Send out.

Here, the creation of the virtual outline image in the virtual image generation unit 32 will be described. The data recording unit 20 stores, for example, source coil position data and angle-of-view data in the distal end rigid portion 7a of the endoscope 6 created based on three-dimensional CAD data and the like, shape data of the treatment tool 40, and the like. . Therefore, first, the connector 9C of the endoscope 6
Alternatively, when an identification signal is input to the endoscope model identification section 9c and the treatment instrument type identification section 48a to the position detecting device main body 21 via the connector 48 of the treatment instrument 40, the data recording section 20 outputs the identification signal. Based on this, the connected endoscope 6 and the treatment tool 40 are specified, and each data corresponding to the endoscope 6 and the treatment tool 40 is output to the system control unit 34 of the shape calculation unit 30.

Next, in the virtual image generator 32, the data input to the system controller 34 of the shape calculator 30 and the coordinates of the source coils 16a, 16b, 16c of the source coil position detector 31 are calculated. The information and the information are added to calculate the position of the distal end rigid portion 7a and the center axis vector, while the shape data of the treatment tool 40 and the source coils 45a, 45b, and 4 input to the system control unit 34 are calculated.
5c is added to the coordinate information, and the tip of the treatment tool insertion section 41, the axial vector and the rotation angle around the axis of the treatment tool insertion section 41, and the opening and closing of the treatment tool tip are determined based on the relative distance between the source coils 45a, 45b, and 45c. Calculate the quantity f and the like.

Next, the calculated data is converted into a coordinate system centered on the visual field of the endoscope 6 based on the visual field direction and the angle of view of the endoscope 6 recorded in the data recording section 20. Then, a flesh is made based on the shape data of the treatment tool 40 recorded in the data recording unit 20, a virtual image viewed from the endoscope 6 is generated, and output to the monitor signal generating unit 33.

The monitor signal generator 33 converts the virtual contour image generated by the virtual image generator 32 as viewed from the endoscope 6 into a predetermined video signal such as RGB, NTSC, or PAL, and converts the video signal into a predetermined video signal. The endoscope image output from the processor 11 is subjected to image processing, and the contour image extracting unit 12 is processed.
Is compared with the contour image extracted in step (1). Then, after the virtual contour image of the overlapping portion is deleted, the virtual image is superimposed on the endoscopic image before image processing and displayed on the screen of the monitor 23.

The model of the connected endoscope or the kind of the treatment tool is manually entered through the operation panel 35 into the data recording section 20.
May be input.

That is, the source coils 16a, 16b, 16c provided at the distal end rigid portion 7a of the endoscope insertion portion 7
And the predetermined source coils 45a, 45b, 45c near the distal end portion 44 of the treatment tool,
When a magnetic field is generated by the drive signal applied from No. 1,
These source coils 16a, 16b, 16c, 45a,
The magnetic field from 45b, 45c is
It is detected by the axis sense coils 22a, 22b, 22c.
Then, the bed 4 of each point is detected by the source coil position detection unit 31.
The coordinates for are calculated.

In the virtual image generating section 32, as described above, the source coils 16a, 16b, 16c, 45a, 45
Using the coordinates of b and 45c, the viewing direction and the angle of view of the endoscope 6 recorded in the data recording unit 20, and the shape data of the treatment tool 40, the distal end rigid portion 7a of the endoscope insertion portion 7 is used. The position and central axis vector, the distal end position of the treatment instrument insertion section 41, the axial direction vector, the rotation angle around the axis, and the opening / closing amount f of the treatment instrument distal end are calculated.

After that, the coordinate system is converted into a coordinate system centering on the field of view of the endoscope 6, and the outer shape of the treatment tool is fleshed out based on the three-dimensional CAD data, and the virtual contour of the treatment tool insertion section 41 viewed from the endoscope 6. An image is generated and sent to the monitor signal generation unit 33.

The monitor signal generator 33 converts the endoscope image output from the video processor 11 into the contour image extractor 12
The image processing is performed to extract the outline data, and the virtual image is compared with the virtual outline image data generated by the virtual image generation unit 32 to delete the duplicated virtual outline, and is superimposed on the endoscope image before the image processing. The combined video signal is output to the monitor 23.

A display example on the monitor 23 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 8A, a normal endoscopic image captured by the CCD 29 and output through the video processor 11 and the monitor signal generator 33 is a tissue 5b in the body cavity.
Is held by the treatment tool tip 44, for example, the pair of teeth 4
Only one of the teeth 44a, which is not obscured by the tissue 5b in the body cavity, is shown. In order to visually recognize the situation of the tooth portion 44b, the operator must perform operations such as moving the viewpoint of the endoscope 6 and changing the position of the treatment tool 40.

In this embodiment, instead of moving the viewpoint of the endoscope 6 or changing the position of the treatment tool 40, the monitor signal generator 33 performs image processing on the endoscope image and shows it in FIG. 8B. Such contour data is extracted.

On the other hand, in the virtual image generation section 32, the coordinates of the source coils 45a, 45b and 45c and the data recording section 20
8C, virtual outline image data of the treatment tool 40 as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8D, a result of comparing the virtual contour image data of FIG. 8C with the contour data of FIG.
The virtual contour image 44b 'of the tooth portion 44b which is not displayed behind the shadow of the tooth 44b is generated, and as shown in FIG.
The virtual contour image data of FIG. 8D is superimposed on the endoscope image of FIG. 8D, and a combined image is displayed on the monitor screen.

That is, the tooth portion 44b hidden behind the body tissue 5b and not displayed is replaced with the virtual contour image 44.
It is made visible by b '. At this time, FIG.
The opening / closing amount f of the distal end of the treatment tool calculated by the virtual image generation unit 32 may be displayed on the monitor screen as a specific dimension display 49 as shown in FIG.

As described above, a plurality of source coils are provided at a predetermined position of the distal end hard portion of the endoscope insertion portion and the treatment tool, and a magnetic field generated from the source coils is detected by the three-axis sense coil. In addition to calculating the coordinates of the source coil with the position detection device and calculating and calculating the position and shape of the distal end of the treatment tool with respect to the endoscope insertion section, the blind spot that is not displayed due to hiding behind the organs in the body cavity etc. It is possible to display a certain portion of the treatment tool tip or the like as a virtual contour image on the screen of the monitor to assist the operation of the surgeon or the assistant to be connected. Thus, the operator can easily grasp the state of the distal end of the treatment instrument and perform the treatment smoothly.

Further, by displaying the opening / closing amount of the distal end of the treatment instrument in a specific size on the monitor screen, it is possible to measure the tissue in the body cavity held by the distal end of the treatment instrument.

FIGS. 9 and 10 relate to an application example of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of an endoscope system.
0 is a view for explaining the vicinity of the probe tip when the probe is fixed in the treatment instrument channel.

As shown in FIG. 9, the endoscope 6A of the endoscope system 1A according to the present embodiment has source coils 16a, 16b, and 16c serving as the endoscope magnetic field generator 16 shown in FIG.
It is not a dedicated endoscope 6 provided with a lead wire 17. For this reason, in the endoscope 6A of the present embodiment, the position detection shown in FIG. 10 is performed on the treatment instrument channel 13 for introducing the treatment instrument into the body cavity provided in the endoscope insertion section 7 and treating the affected part. Probe 15 can be detachably fixed at a predetermined position. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 10, the probe 15 has three source coils 56 serving as endoscope magnetic field generating elements.
Reference numerals a, 56b, and 56c are fixed to the distal end of the insulating and flexible tube 19 and the distances d and e that are predetermined distances from the distal end. Each source coil 56
a, 56b, 56c are insulating and hard cylindrical cores 50;
The outer peripheral surface is insulated and fixed by an adhesive 60 and is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the tube 19.

The treatment instrument insertion opening 13a is located at the same position as the length L of the treatment instrument channel 13 from the distal end of the tube 19.
Is provided with a fixing member 19a for detachably fixing the endoscope insertion portion 7 at a predetermined position by engaging with the fixing member 19a.

The source coils 56a, 56b, 56c
Are connected to the probe 15
Of the position detecting device 2 via a connector 58 provided at the rear end of the probe or the rear end of the cable extending from the rear end of the probe 15.
1 and a position detecting device main body 2
When a drive signal is applied from No. 1, a magnetic field is generated from each of the source coils 56a, 56b, 56c.

The source coils 56a, 56b, 56
Since c is bonded and fixed by winding a conductive wire around the hard core 50, it does not deform when the endoscope insertion portion 7 is curved, and thus always generates a constant magnetic field. Reference numeral 13b denotes a channel outlet of the treatment instrument channel 13.

As described above, in this embodiment, the probe is inserted through the treatment instrument channel, and the fixing member provided on the tube constituting the probe is engaged and fixed to the treatment instrument insertion opening of the treatment instrument channel. Since the three source coils are arranged at predetermined positions of the endoscope insertion section, the position of the endoscope insertion section and the center axis vector of this endoscope can be calculated.

Thus, even if the endoscope has a treatment instrument channel in the endoscope insertion portion, a probe having a course coil disposed in the treatment instrument channel can be used even if the endoscope is not a dedicated endoscope having a built-in source coil. By attaching
The same operation and effect as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another display example on the monitor screen according to a modification of the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, instead of superimposing the virtual contour image of the treatment tool insertion unit 41 on the actual endoscope image in the virtual image generation unit 32, based on the coordinates obtained by the source coil position detection unit 31, The treatment tool tip shape at an arbitrary viewpoint input from the operation panel 35 is calculated, and the treatment instrument tip shape image 6
3 is virtually displayed on a second screen 62 provided in the screen of the monitor 23 on which the endoscope image is displayed.

As described above, the treatment tool tip shape image at an arbitrary viewpoint input from the operation panel is virtually displayed on the second screen provided in the screen of the monitor displaying the endoscope image. The shape of the treatment tool can be confirmed from any viewpoint different from the endoscope.

FIGS. 12 and 13 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining another example of the configuration of the endoscope system, and FIG. 13 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the position detecting device. is there. As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, in the endoscope system 1B of the present embodiment, a source coil serving as a relative position detecting means in which a lead wire 67 is extended to the distal end of the endoscope insertion section 7 of the endoscope 6B. 66 are provided. The source coil 66 is electrically connected to the position detecting device main body 21 via the extending lead wire 67, the video processor 11, and the electric cable 14.

The endoscope 6B includes a treatment instrument channel 13
For example, a high-frequency treatment tool 68 is inserted into the endoscope, and the treatment tool tip 68a of the high-frequency treatment tool 68 is projected from the channel outlet 13b of the endoscope insertion section 7, so that high-frequency treatment of the affected part can be performed.

On the other hand, in the vicinity of the treatment instrument tip 68a of the high-frequency treatment instrument 68, a source coil 69 extending from the lead wire 70 and serving as relative position detecting means is provided. The source coil 69 connects the extending lead wire 70 to the position detecting device main body 21.

The source coil 66 and the source coil 69 are connected to the distal end 68a of the treatment instrument with the endoscope insertion portion 7.
When it protrudes from the channel outlet 13b by a distance g, it is disposed so as to have the closest positional relationship.

The operation unit 6 on the hand side of the high-frequency treatment instrument 68
8b is a high-frequency cable 7 extending from the high-frequency power supply 72.
1 is connected, and a high-frequency output from the high-frequency power supply 72 is supplied to the treatment tool tip 68a.

In the position detecting device 3 of the present embodiment, the length of the source coil 69 protruding from the distal end of the endoscope insertion portion 7 of the treatment instrument distal end 68a from the distal end of the endoscope insertion portion 7 is shorter than the source coil 66. In this case, the warning display signal generated by the virtual image generation unit 32 is transmitted to the monitor signal generation unit 33, and an output prohibition control signal is transmitted from the system control unit 34 to the high frequency power supply 72 via the control cable 73. ing.

Further, the monitor signal generation unit 33 which has received the warning display signal superimposes the warning display signal of the virtual image generation unit 32 on the endoscope image output from the video processor 11 and displays it on the screen of the monitor 23. It is designed to be displayed.

The high-frequency power supply 72 is connected to the position detecting device main body 21 via a control cable 73.
Further, the source coil 66 and the source coil 69 may be arranged in a predetermined positional relationship in the vicinity of the treatment instrument insertion port 13a on the endoscope hand side. Further, a configuration in which sense coils are arranged at the same positions instead of the source coils 66 may be employed. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

The endoscope system 1B configured as described above
The operation of will be described. The source coil 66 provided on the endoscope insertion portion 7 of the endoscope 6B and the source coil 69 provided near the distal end 68a of the treatment tool both generate a magnetic field according to a drive signal from the position detection device main body 21. I do. The magnetic fields generated from the source coils 66 and 69 are detected by the sense coils 22a, 22b and 22c, and the relative positions of the source coil 69 and the source coil 66 are calculated by the source coil position detector 31.

When the position of the source coil 69 is smaller than the distance g from the distal end of the endoscope insertion section 7 by the operation unit side of the position of the source coil 66, the virtual image generation unit 32 The generated warning display signal is sent to the monitor signal generation unit 33, and is superimposed on the endoscope image output from the video processor 11. Thus, a warning display 75 is displayed on the screen of the monitor 23 together with the endoscope image. At this time, the protrusion length g of the treatment tool tip 68a calculated by the source coil position detection unit 31 may be displayed as data on the screen of the monitor 23 as a numerical value 76.

At the same time, an output prohibition control signal is sent from the system control unit 34 to the high frequency power supply 72, so that high frequency output is prohibited. When the high-frequency output operation is performed in the high-frequency output prohibited state, a warning sound may be emitted to notify the operator.

As described above, by detecting the relative value between the source coil provided at the distal end of the insertion section of the endoscope and the source coil provided at the distal end of the treatment instrument, the distal end of the endoscope insertion section at the distal end of the treatment instrument is detected. The surgeon or assistant can easily grasp whether or not the projection is sufficiently protruded.

If the distal end of the treatment instrument does not protrude sufficiently from the distal end of the endoscope insertion portion, the output from the high frequency power supply is prohibited, so that the high frequency output operation is performed without noticing the warning display. Even in the event that the endoscope or the treatment tool is damaged by the high frequency, a warning sound is issued without outputting a high frequency even when the endoscope is touched.

Further, by displaying the protruding length (g) of the treatment instrument on a monitor, the distance from the distal end of the endoscope to the distal end of the treatment instrument can be measured.

Further, by providing a pair of source coils near the treatment instrument insertion port on the side of the endoscope, the diameter of the distal end of the endoscope or the treatment instrument can be reduced.

FIG. 14 is a view for explaining another configuration example of a treatment tool according to a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, in the present embodiment, the source coil 66 is provided at a predetermined position of the trocar main body 83b, while the source coil 69 is provided at a predetermined position of the treatment instrument insertion section 80b.

These source coils 66 and 69 are arranged so as to be closest to each other when the distal end 80a of the treatment tool projects by a distance h from the distal end 83a of the trocar insertion portion 83a. And each source coil 66,
Lead wires 67 and 70 extending from 69 are connected to the position detecting device main body 21.

A high-frequency cable 71 extending from a high-frequency power supply 72 is connected to the operation section 80c on the hand side of the treatment instrument 80, so that a high frequency is supplied to the treatment instrument tip 80a. The high-frequency power supply 72 is connected to the position detecting device main body 21 by a control cable 73. Other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment. It should be noted that the source coil 66 and the source coil 69 may be arranged in a predetermined positional relationship near the tip 83a of the trocar insertion portion. The source coil 66
Alternatively, the sense coils may be arranged at the same position.

The operation of the treatment instrument 80 and the trocar 83 configured as described above will be described. The source coil 66 provided on the trocar main body 83b and the source coil 69 provided on the treatment instrument insertion section 80b generate a magnetic field according to a drive signal from the position detecting device main body 21. The magnetic fields generated from the source coils 66 and 69 are detected by the sense coils 22a, 22b and 22c, and the relative positions of the source coil 69 and the source coil 66 are calculated by the source coil position detector 31.

When the position of the source coil 69 is closer to the hand than the position of the source coil 66, the warning display signal generated by the virtual image generator 32 is output to the monitor 23, and the warning display 86 is displayed on the monitor 23. Will be displayed on the screen. At this time, the projection length (h) of the treatment tool calculated by the source coil position detection unit 31 may be displayed as data on the screen of the monitor 23 as a numerical value 87.

At the same time, an output prohibition control signal is sent from the system control unit 34 to the high frequency power supply 72 via the control cable 73 to prohibit high frequency output.

As described above, by detecting the relative position between the source coil provided on the trocar main body and the source coil provided on the treatment instrument insertion section, whether the treatment instrument tip is sufficiently projected from the tip of the trocar insertion section is determined. The operator or assistant can easily grasp the condition.

If the distal end of the treatment instrument does not sufficiently project from the distal end of the trocar insertion portion, the output from the high-frequency power supply is prohibited, so that if the high-frequency output operation is performed without noticing the warning display, However, since the high frequency is not output, it is possible to reliably prevent the distal end of the treatment tool or the trocar from being damaged by the high frequency.

Further, by displaying the protruding length (h) of the treatment tool on the monitor, the distance from the tip of the trocar to the tip of the treatment tool can be measured.

By providing a pair of source coils near the trocar main body, the diameter of the trocar treatment instrument insertion portion can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the invention.

[Appendix] According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the following configuration can be obtained.

(1) An endoscope magnetic field generating element disposed in the endoscope insertion portion, a treatment tool magnetic field generating element disposed in the treatment tool, and a portion around the subject into which the endoscope and the treatment tool are inserted. Based on a magnetic field detecting element previously arranged at a known position, and a detection signal output from the magnetic field detecting element that detects a magnetic field generated from the magnetic field generating element for the endoscope and the magnetic field generating element for the treatment tool, Position calculating means for calculating the position of the magnetic field generating element for an endoscope and the magnetic field generating element for a treatment instrument based on the magnetic field detecting element; and position information obtained by the position calculating means, Coordinate conversion means for performing coordinate conversion to a relative position of the magnetic field generating element for a treatment tool with reference to the magnetic field generating element, and a treatment tool viewed from the endoscope based on the relative position obtained by the coordinate conversion of the coordinate conversion means. Image forming hand forming a virtual image of When the endoscope apparatus characterized by comprising an image display means for displaying on the screen by superimposing the virtual image formed by the virtual image forming means to the actual endoscope image.

(2) The apparatus further comprises data recording means for storing the direction of view data and the angle of view data of the endoscope and the shape data of the treatment tool, and based on the data recorded in this data recording means, 2. The endoscope apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the forming means forms a virtual image of the treatment tool.

(3) A supplementary note 1 or supplementary note 2 in which the relative position information of the treatment tool magnetic field generating element based on the endoscope magnetic field generating element obtained by the coordinate conversion means is notified by display or sound. Endoscope device.

(4) An endoscope apparatus in which relative position detecting means for detecting a relative position between the treatment tool and an endoscope channel or a trocar into which the treatment tool is inserted are arranged at predetermined positions.

(5) An endoscope apparatus according to appendix 4, wherein magnetic field generating elements are arranged at predetermined positions of the treatment tool and an endoscope channel or a trocar through which the treatment tool is inserted.

(6) An endoscope apparatus in which a magnetic field generating element is disposed at a predetermined position of the treatment tool, and a magnetic field detection element is disposed at a predetermined position of an endoscope channel or trocar through which the treatment tool is inserted.

(7) The endoscope apparatus according to Supplementary Note 5 or 6, wherein a relative position between the treatment tool and the endoscope channel or the trocar is calculated, and the relative position information is displayed or notified by sound.

(8) The endoscope apparatus according to appendix 4, wherein a high-frequency output device connected to the treatment tool is controlled according to the information of the relative position detecting means.

[0095]

As described above, according to the present invention, in endoscopic surgery using an endoscope and a treatment tool, position information, shape information, etc., of the distal end of the treatment tool at the blind spot of the endoscope are obtained. Can be provided to assist the surgeon, and can provide an endoscope apparatus that prevents the endoscope, the trocar, or the distal end of the treatment tool from being damaged by an inadvertent operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 to FIG. 8 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an endoscope system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a specific configuration of an endoscope system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an endoscope magnetic field generation unit.

FIG. 4 illustrates a treatment tool.

FIG. 5 illustrates a sense coil.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which an endoscope and a treatment tool are inserted into an abdominal cavity of a patient lying on a bed;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a position detection device.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example on a monitor screen.

FIGS. 9 and 10 relate to an application example of the first embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an endoscope system.

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining the vicinity of the probe tip when the probe is fixed in the treatment instrument channel.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another display example on the monitor screen according to a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a view for explaining another configuration example of the endoscope system.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a position detection device.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of a treatment tool according to a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Endoscope system 3 ... Position detection device 4 ... Bed 6 ... Endoscope 11 ... Video processor 16 ... Source coil 20 ... Data recording part 22 ... Three-axis sense coil 30 ... Shape calculation part 31 ... Source coil position detection part 32 virtual image generator 33 monitor signal generator 34 system controller 40 treatment tool 45 source coil

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (72) Kunihide Kaji 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Inside Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Yuichi Morinemi 2-43 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo No. 2 Inside Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Yasuhiko Kikuchi, Inventor 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo In-house Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Hiroshi Takahashi 2-43, Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo No. 2 Inside Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takechiyo Nakamitsu 2-43-2 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Inside Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. (72) Takeaki Nakamura 2, Hatagaya 2, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo C-43-2 Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H040 BA00 BA14 BA23 DA02 GA02 GA11 4C060 GG22 4C061 AA00 BB00 CC 06 DD00 FF24 FF41 GG11 GG15 HH51 LL02

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An endoscope magnetic field generating element disposed in an endoscope insertion portion, a treatment tool magnetic field generating element disposed in a treatment tool, and a known device around the subject into which the endoscope and the treatment tool are inserted. A magnetic field detecting element previously arranged at a position of the magnetic field generating element for detecting a magnetic field generated from the magnetic field generating element for the endoscope and the magnetic field generating element for the treatment tool. Position calculating means for calculating the positions of the endoscope magnetic field generating element and the treatment instrument magnetic field generating element with reference to the detection element; and A coordinate conversion means for performing coordinate conversion to a relative position of the treatment tool magnetic field generation element with reference to the generating element; and a treatment tool viewed from the endoscope based on the relative position obtained by the coordinate conversion of the coordinate conversion means. Virtual image forming means for forming a virtual image The endoscope apparatus characterized by comprising an image display means for displaying on the screen by superimposing the virtual image formed by the virtual image forming means to the actual endoscope image. 2. An endoscope, wherein relative positions detecting means for detecting a relative position between the treatment tool and an endoscope channel or a trocar into which the treatment tool is inserted are arranged at respective predetermined positions. apparatus.